Few seconds of fame

Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather is arguably one of the greatest films of human history. Bone breaking reality, drama, and great historic overview of an era and a family. This is not a movie site and I'm sure that it needs no presentation at all. Taking the smallest part in a legend like The Godfather is a gigantic honour, and owning a thing related to it is a value that money can't buy. Or can it?

Just take a quick look to the right of the picture. By the way, imagine if they want to leave earlier than the others...

Considering that the Corleone family grew enormous wealth out of gambling, we can be pretty sure that all the invited had high stacks of money hided in their basements. It's quite strange then that one of the guests arrived in a thirteen year old luxury car to Connie's wedding. Even more, because the forties were a time in design history when aerodynamics became a thing, and rich people - as always - want to show off everything they had. But that guest knew that style will never go out of fashion and kept the good old Cadillac LaSalle in the garage.

All of the above is pure speculation, because the car didn't have any further role in the film, it was only part of the decoration. The few seconds of it's rear end didn't make it a legendary movie car as Frank Bullit's Mustang, or James Bond's submarine Lotus. And this is why 44 years after the legendary Godfather the car can be in private hands instead of standing behind the bars of a museum's exhibition. Or actually it is, because it's owner is an enthusiastic collector of Cadillac's and he opened it for the public.

Such a majestic view! Only 84 years passed since it left the factory.

He took the car to a charming lakeside town in the middle of Europe and now it's standing amongst very different models from the different decades of the American factory. The LaSalle is a highly sophisticated car, with all the luxury offered for both the driver and the passengers. The steering wheel has two knobs, one is the light switch, but the other one is cruise control. In 1932! The front windshield can be lifted half centimetre, to let the driver get some fresh air. The passengers have so much space for their legs that anyone who ever travelled with a low cost airline would cry loudly of joy.

A 5784 cm³ (353 in³) V8 lies under the foldable bonnet which produces 115 horsepower which is enough for a smooth ride or for a chase with the police. But not today. The owner loves to take a few miles with the LaSalle, but usually it's taking its well deserved rest at the home-museum.

More details about the car are coming soon in the first issue of Rusty's magazine. wearerusty.com